Emerging reseller/marketing services layer in local media an opportunity to provide SMBs cost-effective access to digital marketing toolsets used by larger enterprises
CHANTILLY, Va. (Feb. 25, 2015) – BIA/Kelsey today released a new report that examines the do-it-with-me (DIWM) service model for marketing solutions geared to small and medium-sized businesses. “Optimizing Local Marketing: SMB Marketing Needs ‘Do It With Me’ Models,” digs into this emerging reseller/marketing services layer in local media that helps provide SMBs access to the latest digital marketing practices.
“Large companies and well-funded startups have the resources to take advantage of today’s advanced digital marketing techniques,” said Mitch Ratcliffe, contributor and report author, BIA/Kelsey. “These approaches sometimes require hiring marketing staff or using relatively expensive marketing services that rely on enterprise toolsets. Such solutions, though effective at scale, are prohibitively expensive and complex for SMBs. This has led to the emergence of do-it-with-me solutions that enable smaller marketers to engage in more advanced digital marketing practices.”
The DIWM report explores this SMB marketing gap and introduces an emerging online services category, “optimized local marketing,” which intends to bring SMBs the kind of digital marketing success that exists at scale in the large enterprise today.
According to the report, the optimized local marketing services model involves collaboration between an SMB and one or more vendors to build complementary messages for multiple channels. This approach benefits the individual client business and creates network effects, such as qualified participants in shared loyalty programs, cross-promotional campaigns and integrated transactional systems that flag cross-selling opportunities for SMBs.
“A little help can go a long way,” added Ratcliffe. “Many SMBs can bridge their marketing chasms with contract marketing services attached to a platform. And agencies that bundle digital marketing services can share access to their customers’ dashboards and take on creative and production tasks on behalf of the SMB.”
“Optimizing Local Marketing: SMB Marketing Needs ‘Do It With Me’ Models,” is a BIA/Kelsey Sponsored Research report, sponsored by Vendasta, a provider of marketing automation and sales transformation solutions. The report includes four charts, including data from BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM), an ongoing study of the advertising behaviors of SMBs, and the company’s U.S. Local Media Forecast 2015. The report is available for download here: https://www.bia.com/Research-and-Analysis/Reports/Sponsored-Research/Optimizing-Local-Marketing-DoItWithMeModels.asp. Topics covered in the 15-page report include:
- Fragmentation: The Chasm Deepens for Local
- Troubled Teens: When Business Fails to Scale
- Do It With Me: I’m Not Confident with DIFM or DIY
- Marketing Can’t Be a One-Person Show After the Company Is Two-Employees Strong
- Free Works: “Freemium” Is the Path to Profit
- Concierge Service: The Local Bridge
- Growth Is Risk Leading to Measurable Reward
- The Road Ahead Is Collaborative
BIA/Kelsey Sponsored Research
BIA/Kelsey Sponsored Research is commissioned by companies that wish to spotlight timely issues, trends and topics that have a bearing on the local media and marketing industry. BIA/Kelsey maintains full editorial control and applies its longstanding standards of editorial practice and objective market analysis. Companies interested in contracting BIA/Kelsey to cover a particular topic or profile sectors of local media innovation should email info@biakelsey.com for more information.
About BIA/Kelsey
BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through consulting and valuation services, research and forecasts, Custom Advisory Services and conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey’s annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at https://www.bia.com, on the company’s Local Media Watch blog, Twitter (http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/biakelsey). Stay connected by subscribing to the firm’s bi-monthly newsletter.
For more information contact:
Eileen Pacheco
For BIA/Kelsey
(508) 888-7478
eileen@tango-group.com
